The Case to Elect Sadaharu Oh to the Hall of Fame Submitted to The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY Au - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Case to Elect Sadaharu Oh to the Hall of Fame Submitted to The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY August, 2002 The Case for Sadaharu Oh Contents The Case for Sadaharu Oh - at a glance … 3 Policy and Politics – what’s keeping him out and why he should be let in … 5

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Since Oh never played in the MLB or the Negro Leagues he is ineligible.

A ban on Japanese players (see exhibits A & B) prevented Oh from playing in the MLB.

There are many players, who were ineligible, and are now in the Hall of Fame.

Since the Japanese leagues were dismissed as inferior, the statistics accumulated by its players were deemed suspect.

The Japanese statistical record has not been readily available to English audiences, hindering wide spread awareness of Japanese players’ exploits. Those records are included in this report.

Sabrmetric methods of converting stats from foreign leagues into relative MLB equivalents has only been recognized within the past 15 years or so. Oh’s converted MLB equivalents and are presented in this report and show him to be HOF caliber.

Recent successes by Japanese players in the MLB have bolstered opinions. Hideo Nomo won the NL Rookie of the Year and MLB all-star in 1995. Kazu Sasaki, followed up as AL Rookie of the Year in 2000. Then, Ichiro Suzuki won the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2001.

Since there may not be enough other foreign players qualified for the HOF, it was not deemed worthwhile to expand the Hall to an international scope.

Oh qualifies under the national scope, so this objection is moot. But, had he not qualified, make an exception for him. It would be unfair to Oh, not to consider him for HOF standing, because he towers above the other Japanese all-stars.

Though it should be irrelevant to Sadaharu Oh’s case, a list of the thirty greatest foreign players is provided in this report. To be sure, the future holds names too.

“The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a not-for-profit educational institution dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of the game and its impact on our culture by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a global audience, as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime.” [www.baseballhalloffame.org]

Acknowledge that in addition to Oh’s great achievements on the field, he impacted our culture and made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime…

His international fame captured the imagination of players, adult fans and aspiring boys in America.

He Inspired a generation of Japanese youth, resulting in players like Nomo and Ichiro, who impact the MLB and our culture.

1977, NY Daily News - “As the undisputed home run king of baseball crazy Japan, Oh swings the fastest, meanest bat in the East. [He] …is a genuine national hero and the living idol to every Japanese boy old enough to say “Yomiuri Giants," the name of his team."

He directly impacted MLB. Players, such as Steve Garvey (10-time all star and 1974 MVP), learned from Oh through exposure in his 110 exhibition games against Major Leaguers.

"Power is important to me. I need drive; I need torque. I learned a lot about torque from Sadaharu Oh. I spent some time with him during spring training in 1971, and again in '75 and '79. He always talked about the use of his legs as the single biggest asset to his power... “ [Garvey]

Adherence to the Hall’s Charter and to the mandate of its Leadership, requires Oh be enshrined…

Through its mission, one of the National Hall of Fame’s stated commitments is: “Honoring, by enshrinement, those individuals who had exceptional careers…”

The Hall of Fame already displays a Japanese exhibit and includes Oh in the “500 Home Run Room.” This signifies that the HOF acknowledges the fact that Oh represents a significant part of baseball's history.

Recall that for a while, Roy Campanella, who admitted Josh Gibson was better than him, was in the main room, while the non-MLB Negro Leaguers were relegated to an exhibit in a separate room.

Through its leadership, Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the HOF said, "The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has the unique responsibility of preserving baseball's rich history and honoring its greatest heroes.“ [from Forward of "Baseball As America“]

Therefore, considering Oh’s accomplishments on the field, and with regard to his impact on American culture and our national pastime, it is not enough to rely on the Japanese Hall of Fame to honor him.

Due to Ichiro’s MLB success, it has become apparent that eligibility rules must be revised (see exhibit F), regardless of opinions about Oh:

Candidates need to play in the MLB for at least 10 years to get elected under the current rules. Since Japanese players must remain in Japan for at least 9 or 10 years before they can play in the MLB, it is not reasonable to assume that such a player will last long enough to qualify for the HOF. Therefore, the eligibility rules need to be revised, regardless of the case for Sadaharu Oh.

The recent Japanese migration reduces the quality of the Japanese leagues and hastens the need for the MLB to return some good will.

Electing foreign players to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown will boost international interest in American baseball.

Sadaharu Oh is a safe first choice.

The beneficial side-effect is that it leads to more new players in the future (fans often play the games they enjoy).

Politically, electing players from foreign countries to the HOF in Cooperstown demonstrates respect to players from leagues long disrespected in America.

Opportunity to enhance the prestige for current Hall of Famers by labeling them the “World’s Greatest” rather than “America’s Greatest.”

The Japanese Gold Glove award was introduced in 1972. Oh won it the first 9 times from 1972 to 1980, the year he retired. Presumably, he would have won it in the years before 1972 had the award existed.

Oh won 18 consecutive Best Nine awards as the league’s best first baseman from 1962 to 1979. Now that’s consistency!

Davey Johnson, the only man to have been a teammate of both Oh and Aaron, said, “You couldn’t find a better [fielding] first baseman.”[Deford’s Sports Illustrated article, August 15, 1977]

What did MLB players of his time think of him? [Unless otherwise noted, these quotes come from an appendix in Oh’s autobiography.]

Tom Seaver: “He sure hit me. He was a superb hitter. He hit consistently, and he hit with power. If he played in the United States, he would have hit 20-25 home runs a year, and what’s more, he’d hit .300. He’d be a lifetime .300 hitter. He had tremendous discipline at the plate. He knew the strike zone extremely well…He could pull your hard stuff, and you couldn’t fool him off-speed.”

Hal McRae: “Oh had tremendous patience as a hitter . . . He had good power. I don’t know how many he would have hit here . . . start with 20 (a year) . . . at least. He was a great all-star. He’d have been a Hall of Famer.”

Don Baylor: “Oh could have played anywhere at any time. If he played in Yankee Stadium, being the left handed pull hitter he is, I have no doubt he’d hit 40 home runs a year.”

Frank Howard: “You can kiss my ass if he wouldn’t have hit 30 or 35 home runs a year and hit anywhere from .280 to .320 and drive in up to 120 runs a year. The point being, he rates with the all-time stars of the game.”

Frank Robinson: “I’m sure he would have hit in the 30’s (of homers per year) and probably in the low 40’s. . . . Thirty home runs a year add up to over 600 home runs, and he’d do that if he played the same number of years here that he played there.”

Don Drysdale: “He would have hit for average and power here. In a park tailored to his swing, there’s no telling how many he would have hit. . . . He was always ready for anything we threw him. We were all impressed.”

In 1964, a young pitcher named Masanori Murakami, was sent to the U.S., to get seasoning in the SF farm system. The SF Giants brought him up at the end of the year and he pitched 9 games with a 1.80 era. This made him the first Japanese player to ever play in the MLB.

So, the SF Giants decided to sign him for the following season. But Japanese baseball officials objected, creating an impasse. With pressure from the U.S. state department, the SF Giants agreed give up their rights to him after the 1965 season.

He did well for the SF Giants in 1965, pitching in 45 games and compiling a 4-1 record with eight saves and a 3.75 era.

At the end of the season he chose to return to Japan.

The de facto Japanese ban resumed as a result of this tense incident. No Japanese player played in the MLB for the next 30 years.

Note that the MLB ban on blacks was ”de facto” too, not formal. It ended when the L.A. Dodgers’ Branch Rickey bravely defied the will of the other fifteen owners and objections from white players.

In 2002, about half of all minor leaguers were from outside of the 50 U.S. states. This has driven the MLB ratio of foreign born players up every year.

In 2002, nearly 25% of MLB players were born outside of the 50 U.S. states, representing 17 countries.

Players born outside of the 50 U.S. States make an big impact on the quality of MLB. 128 of them were MLB All-Stars through 2001, winning six MVP’s and three Cy Young Awards just in the last six years:

2001 - Ichiro Suzuki, AL (Japan)

1999 - Ivan Rodriguez, AL (P.R.)

1998 - Juan Gonzalez, AL (P.R.) and Sammy Sosa, NL (D.R.)

1997 - Larry Walker, NL (Canada)

1996– Juan Gonzalez, AL (P.R.)

Cy Young Award: 1997, 1999 and 2000 – Pedro Martinez, AL (D.R.)

Nine members of the Hall of Fame were born outside of the U.S. 50 states:

The HOF has been willing to change, bend and rewrite its rules in the past to best serve its mission…

The original rule (1936) was that a candidate must have played at least ten seasons in the majors and been retired for at least five years but no more than twenty years to qualify.

To allow consideration for managers, umpires, executives, and players not eligible through the BBWAA, such as, pre-1920 players and Negro Leaguers, some of whom never played in the MLB, modifications were made.

Because CASEY “The Old Professor” STENGEL was ill, a special exception was made to allow him early election (1966) without having to wait the normal five years. He lived until 1975.

To allow Roberto Clemente’s to enter the HOF immediately after his tragic death, the five year rule was amended (1973) to allow consideration six months after a player’s death.

To keep “Pete Rose” out of the HOF, in 1991 an amendment was added to say that “Any player on Baseball’s ineligible list shall not be an eligible candidate.”

To allow some players in the HOF, the twenty year rule has at times been ignored.

To allow consideration for Sadaharu Oh, an amendment should be made adding the words, “or any national major league” to the bit about the ten MLB or Negro League seasons requirement.

The evolution of rules for HOF eligibility, shows a progression of including the world’s best players rather than keeping them “Ineligible.”

1936: Included first members, all were players and all were Caucasian (Ruth, Wagner, Cobb, Johnson and Mathewson), by means of a pole of 226 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).

1937: Inducted first non-players; Connie Mack and “Little John” McGraw as managers and Ban Johnson and Morgan Bulkeley as pioneers/executives, by means of newly established 78 member Veterans’ Committee.

1939: Inducted first player passed up by the baseball writers by means of the old timers committee (a.k.a., V.C.), Cap Anson.

1971: Inducted first African American, Satchel Paige, by means of newly established Negro League Committee.

1973: Inducted first player born in a foreign country, Roberto Clemente.

1973: Inducted first players to not play in MLB, Buck Leonard and Josh Gibson (see exhibit C).

1977: Inducted first player born in a foreign country and did not play in MLB, Martin Dihigo (see exhibit D).

Proof that the Hall of Fame is increasingly “International” and has a history of choosing to include the world’s best players rather than keeping them “Ineligible”…

Dihigo was the first player, who was born in a foreign country and did not play in MLB, to be elected to the National Hall of Fame

The HOF reversed an earlier decision by President Paul Kerr (1976), that Dihigo was ineligible despite, in Kerr’s words, “… a very impressive record.” A year later (1977), the HOF rethought the case and chose the path of inclusion for this foreign player. Why not choose the path of inclusion for Oh?

Martin Dihigo was a likely the greatest Cuban player ever, proving himself primarily in foreign leagues. Though he played in the Negro Leagues, he never played on the American side in games against other countries

While his political beliefs are his own business, he was a Communist by his own admission. This was evidenced political comments he made supporting rebel leader, Fidel Castro during radio broadcasts in the 1950's.

This demonstrates that the HOF has already admitted a foreigner with politically anti-American sentiment. As a result, it should lower resistance to admitting other foreigners, who are stars in their respective national “major” leagues.

Special International Contribution:Lefty O’Doul, OF and Manager - Credited with initiating pro baseball in Japan (1932). The first U.S. Major Leaguer to be elected by Japan’s HOF (2001). Played in the inaugural MLB all-star game in 1933. MLB lifetime batting average .349 in brief career.

Sun Dong Yol, P - ERA ranged from 1.70 to 0.78 before he switched to relief and led all Korean’s in saves. Five-time leader in K’s.

Alejandro Oms, OF & RHP –.351 lifetime avg in Cuba and roughly .325 in Negro Leagues. Won three batting crowns in Cuba and once led in SBs. Top defensive Venezuelan OF in 1943. Played in championships for 4 different teams.

Jose Mendez, RHP, Infielder and playing Manager – In 1909, he was 44-2 for the Cuban Stars (some games were against semi pro teams). Led the Monarchs to 3 straight Negro National League pennants (1923-25) as a player manager. His was 20-4, with 7 saves over that span. John Henry Lloyd said he never saw a better pitcher.

It is not necessary to change the Hall of Fame’s Mission from “National” to “International” in order to accommodate players, who did not play in America, as long as those players impacted our culture and made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime, as Oh clearly did.

But, given the reality that American baseball has become an international game, changing the official scope from “National” to “International” is well advised.

Whether the mission remains “National” or changes to “International,” establish a Baseball Hall of Fame Committee on Foreign Baseball Leagues

Candidates are to have served at least 10 years in any national “major” league from any foreign country and/or the American Major Leagues.

At a minimum, this addresses Ichiro’s predicament of having to play at least nine years in Japan before he can prove himself in America.

At best, it allows for the consideration of the world’s greatest baseball players, many of whom were not free to play in America.

Jim Albright - assembled nearly all of the numbers presented, which he collected from various sources. Jim was also responsible for all of the Sabrmetric calculations used. His calculations and logic were confirmed for accuracy and presented to scores of baseball researchers before presentation in this document. And, he inspired us all.

John B. Holway - a noted historian of the Japanese and Negro leagues, served as a guide, and was the primary source for the Dihigo case.

Gary Garland - the Japanese baseball columnist for BaseballGuru.com, filled in important gaps in understanding current players and Japanese policy.